


Long Afloat on Shipless Oceans

by MissAkito



Category: Lilo & Stitch (2002), The Little Mermaid (1989)
Genre: Crossover, Disney femslash, F/F, Femslash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-23
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-09-01 14:58:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8628766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissAkito/pseuds/MissAkito
Summary: Today Ariel would finally fulfill her role and purpose as a daughter of Triton. Today she would finally drown her first human.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This was something I wrote on tumblr years ago, and I've recently re-discovered it. So, that means editing it and posting it here! It's a oneshot for now, but I might return later on and add new chapters here and there. Maybe.

The sun hung bright in the sky as waves curled into the sandy beach of Kauai. Nani stared out onto the distant blue line of the sea as she waited for the crosswalk sign to change. Closing her eyes, she breathed in deeply, allowing her mind to float briefly before the sound of moving feet caused her to dissolve back into the real world. She quickly joined the other people crossing the street, glad that she was arriving early for work this day. Lilo's antics had made her late the other day, and hopefully showing up before her shift to help out would make up for it. Her boss was very forgiving, especially due to her situation, but lately Lilo had been acting up more than usual and it was putting an obvious strain on Nani’s work life.

  
Said nineteen-year-old nearly groaned out loud at the memory of just two days ago, when Lilo had gotten into serious trouble at her after school dance class for getting into a fight with another child. Nani was nearing the end of her rope with her baby sister, and with the fast-approaching visit from Social Services, she felt a small weight settling in the bottom of her stomach.

  
Nani arrived just in time to help serve a large party of tourists. She made sure to catch the eye of her boss, smiling in return to his approving nod, and began quickly setting up a table for the customers.

  
~*~

  
Just a few blocks from Nani’s place of work, the buildings lessened and became white sand, shifted continuously by the clear blue waves sweeping onto the beach. The sun was burning high in the sky, casting its heat over the many tourists and locals alike, laying across blankets and building castles out of sand and shells.

  
These same bright beams of sunlight bled into the water, becoming fainter the deeper into the ocean they delved. Several miles off the coast of Kauai, built from old stone and plant life, was the ancient city of Atlantica. At its depth, there wasn’t much light, but the merfolk had long since adapted to this, able to see better than any human in this darkness.

  
It was deep within these shadows that a young mermaid lay atop a rock, her back against it as she stared up at the distant surface, barely distinguishable in its distance.  
The eighteen-year-old was occupied by one single thought; her failure to fulfill her duty as not only a mermaid, but a daughter of the king of all merpeople, Triton. Five months ago her sister Alana, second-youngest of the seven princesses, had drowned her first human. Some man she’d caught diving down into depths he had no business treading. Ariel was now the only one out of the daughters who had yet to claim her first victim. It was something that was viewed as the duty of the merfolk, and which Triton saw as a great honor for any merperson who was brave enough to travel close to human civilization, finding and dragging an unsuspecting human beneath the waves, claiming them as a sacrifice to the mother ocean.

  
Ever since Triton’s wife Athena was speared by a ship of sailors, the killing of humans had turned from an occasional event into practically law. And it was now the duty of each member of the royal family to drown at least one human being within their life. Now that Alana had fulfilled her role as a princess, the focus was now turned on Ariel, and she felt the weight of it tenfold. This heavy pit in her stomach came not only from the high expectation from her people and family, but from the fact that Ariel had never so much as seen a human up close, let alone been witness to one’s dying moments. She just wasn’t sure she had it in her. Human beings were rather interesting, if she were to be completely honest with herself. Her hidden cache of salvaged surface-world objects could attest to that.

  
In the passing months since Alana had been greatly praised with a lavish party and many gifts from the common merfolk for her achievement, Ariel could feel her father’s impatience rising slowly with her own lack of even attempting to follow her sister’s lead. Murmurs and rumors had spread about her reticence, which eventually reached her father’s ears, resulting in the confrontation from which she’d fled just hours ago.

  
Sighing, Ariel continued to stare unseeing above her. At the sound of another mermaid approaching, she didn’t even have to turn her head to know who it was.

  
“Go away, Attina, I just want to be alone.”

  
This was met by a small laugh, and a pair of arms came into Ariel’s line of sight, resting upon the rock beside her.

  
“Come on, Ariel, you know he didn’t mean it. He just takes this whole thing so seriously. He’ll cool off, you know he will.”

  
“But he’s right. I…I haven’t even _tried_ to go to the surface. Do you think something’s wrong with me?”

  
“Nothing’s wrong with you. You’re just nervous. Andrina was the same way, and now look. She made that big ship crash into the rocks two years ago. Remember? And some day you’ll be just as talented; it just takes practice and time.”

  
Ariel rolled to her side, turning her back to her older sister. She rested her head on her arm, looking down on the small school of fish as they passed by.

  
“But I don’t _have_ time. You heard Daddy; he wants me to drown a human by the end of the week.”

  
“Oh you know Daddy. He was just angry; you have all the time you need.”

  
Ariel’s face scrunched up in frustration. “But I don’t _want_ more time! I want to get this all over with and just drown some stupid human now. But I just…don’t even know if I can.”

  
Attina moved into Ariel’s direct line of sight, tilting her head at her youngest sister with a smile.

  
“Tell you what, why don’t I take you up to the surface, and we can find a surfer or diver. It’s a lot easier than you think.”

  
The idea of her sister being with her when she claimed her first victim was both comforting and unwanted. No, as much as she would like Attina to accompany her, Ariel wanted to do this on her own. To prove that she could.

  
Ariel sat up, determined look set into her face. “No, I’ve got to do this on my own. I’m going to go up to the surface to look around. I’ve put this off long enough.”

  
Now Attina was frowning, laying a comforting hand on Ariel’s shoulder.

  
“Ariel, don’t rush yourself. You’ll be ready, you just need ti-”

  
Ariel brushed her sister’s hand off her, moving from the rock. “No, no more time. Daddy was right. It’s my duty as a princess, and I need to get it out of the way. After this one time, I won’t have to do it ever again. Just this one time…”

  
Ariel pushed her trailing thoughts away. She was not going to back out of it this time. Not like the last times she’d attempted to go to the surface, only to shy back down into the safe darkness. She was going to make her father proud.

  
Attina trailed after her as Ariel began a slow ascent into the vast empty space between the surface of the sea and the familiar ocean floor.

  
“Why don’t I come with you, just a little of the way.”

  
“No, Attina. I have to do this alone. I’ll be back.”

  
Attina watched her little sister rise, her shadow casting itself over her as she watched on in worry. She hoped that her sister truly was ready, like she claimed.

  
“Be careful!” She called up before quickly swimming back toward Atlantica. She was going to give her father a piece of her mind for pushing Ariel into something she surely wasn’t ready for yet.

  
Ariel didn’t bother replying to her sister’s distant shout from below, stomach fluttering with nerves and the decrease in pressure as the water around her seemed to grow lighter, it’s color brightening. The sun was nearing, she could already feel it’s faint burn on her cold, pale skin.

  
The young mermaid halted, mere feet separating her body from the still water above her, open air on the other side. This was the farthest she’d ever traveled, and Ariel swallowed nervously as she debated over whether to continue or just turn back. One the one hand, she was scared to death. Humans killed mermaids; Ariel had grown up on horror stories shared between her sisters after bedtime, when they were supposed to be asleep. They’d done so many horrible things, but surely they couldn’t all be savages, as Triton claimed. They crafted such beautiful things, unlike anything Ariel could find in the ocean.

Well, Ariel knew one thing for sure; if she returned to her father without having killed a human, she’d be hopelessly ashamed of herself.

  
With that last thought in mind, Ariel kicked hard with her tail. In one moment she was suddenly enveloped in empty air and sunlight. It surrounded her, and with a great splash, Ariel landed back in the water, her upper half floating above the broken surface. Her pupils contracted painfully, and Ariel’s eyes squeezed shut, face scrunching up. Even feet below the water, the light from the sun had been filtered. Now, Ariel was experiencing its full impact. Her rubbery skin heated uncomfortably, but after a minute, Ariel was able to open her eyes. She squinted around herself, noting thankfully that there were no humans or boats in sight. How humans could survive in such heat and brightness was beyond her, but Ariel quickly set her mind back on her mission, the very reason she was there to begin with.

  
Spotting the distant line of land to her left, Ariel took a deep breath to brace herself, and ended up sputtering and choking. She’d never before had to breathe from her nose, relying instead on the gills behind her ears to bring in oxygen. She had listened to her sisters speak of how strange it was at first, adapting to the different way of breathing, but after a while it became easy to switch between the two. Ariel hoped it became easy soon; it was making her head feel dizzy.

  
Taking in measured breaths, Ariel began a slow swim toward shore, focusing on her breathing and clearing vision, and trying not to think about the heat from the terrible sun. She couldn’t wait for this to be over.

  
~*~

  
Nani’s hopes of retiring early to her bed that afternoon were dashed when both Lilo and David practically dragged her, pleading the whole way, to the beach. The young woman grudgingly gave in, smiling despite herself. She and Lilo were quick to change into the bathing suits the little girl had had the foresight to bring from home.

  
Before Nani knew it, however, the exhaustion was washed from her mind by the warm sun and spray of the waves. She balanced expertly on a board, David somewhere behind her with Lilo. Inside, Nani was truly grateful to have someone she could trust with Lilo. Things had recently gotten a little awkward between her and David, after his confession to having a huge crush on her. Nani just didn’t have the time to even think of such things. She had her sister and her work to focus on. This was what she’d told him, trying to let him down as gently as possible. The other, secret reason was simple. Nani just wasn’t into him. He was her best friend. Anything beyond was simply unfathomable to her.

  
Nani’s mental wanderings crashed to a halt as she lost her balance, tumbling face forward into the salty water. She allowed herself to float for a few moments, suspended with nothing but her thoughts and the blank emptiness. She really loved the ocean, it always gave her a sense of peace unfound anywhere else.  
Needing air, Nani kicked her way to the surface, inhaling deeply as she did so. Yards ahead her two fellow surfers waved at her to make sure she was alright. Returning the gesture, she sought out her board among the spiraling waves.

  
~*~

  
Ariel lay low among a small alcove of jagged rocks, waves beating upon them as she listened carefully for any sound of human life. Hearing nothing, Ariel slowly raised her head, peeking over the tallest rock, toward shore. She was dangerously close to land, a realisation that caused her pulse to quicken.

  
Although exploring downed ships and collecting small human items was a hobby of Ariel’s, she’d never had any particular want to actually see a human being up close. They were something that existed only in merfolk tales and in each shiny trinket she hid away in her grotto. Encountering a human was just something Ariel had never given real any thought to; they were creatures of fantasy, surreal and distant. That is until just this year, when Alana had happened upon that diver and suddenly reminded Ariel of their duty as mermaids. Alana’s had been the first drowning since Andrina caused that ship to crash two years ago. Every sister had already killed their first human by then. Alana and Ariel had been united in their status, but now the youngest daughter was all alone, the last one.

  
Ariel mentally shook herself back to the present.

  
“Not for long.” She spoke aloud to herself as she spied the distant figures of countless humans along the shore and in the water. She’d wait. She would be patient and wait until the afternoon, when the sun was low in the sky and most of the humans had left. She’d been taught all the basic facts about human behavior from an early age. Humans didn’t usually linger in the ocean past dark, because of their poor night vision. This would be the prime time for Ariel to set her plan into motion. It would be just as she and her sisters had practiced. Lure a human out to sea, and then pull them beneath the surface before they could regain their senses. She’d been assured countless times of how easy it would be. A mermaid’s voice had the power to render any human senseless. Mer legend had it that some merfolk became so powerful with their voices that they could conjure great storms, flooding coastlines and overturning ships. No such mermaid currently existed to Ariel’s knowledge, but that didn’t stop many of her sisters from striving for that power.

  
Ariel let her mind drift idly as time passed, the heat from the sun abated slightly by the continuous crash of cooling waves.

  
~*~

  
Nani sat on her board, looking out over the calm waters. The waves has settled an hour ago, and all the other surfers had gone home for the day. Lilo quickly grew bored, so Nani sent her to the local seaside arcade with David and a handful of dollars. Nani didn’t come along, instead capitalizing on this opportunity for some peace and quiet.  
Shielding her eyes, she looked toward the low hanging sun, relaxed completely for the first time in days. She almost wished she’d given Lilo more money so that she’d have more time to herself, rocking lightly back and forth on the water.

  
~*~

  
Ariel could stall no longer, so with nerves returning in full, she slipped from the rocks, careful not to cut herself on the sharp edges. She swam out into the open water, head kept low and hidden in the dimming light. Her eyes swept up and down the sandy beach, and she felt panic flutter inside her. There were no humans to be seen on the white sands. Had she waited too long? She couldn’t return home now after all this waiting and buildup. She was ready, she just knew it!

  
In distress, Ariel looked back out over the sea, and quickly ducked down into the water until just her head was visible.

  
Not far away sat a human, back toward her, looking off at the sun. It was floating on what her sisters said was called a surfboard, its color almost the exact match of Ariel’s hair.

  
Quickly looking around for other humans, and finding none, Ariel determined that it was now or never. If she didn’t lure this human to her, she would be going home unsuccessful. That couldn’t happen.

  
Swimming just under the surface and keeping the dangling legs of the human within sight, Ariel swam back to where the jagged rocks rested. Sitting herself upon them, Ariel took a few calming breaths before humming softly. The greatest power a mermaid owned was her voice, her father had said countless times. She and her sisters had spent their entire lives singing, practicing their melodies, perfecting their pitches and tones. A mermaid with a beautiful voice was a deadly thing, and Ariel was known for having the prettiest voice of all Triton’s daughters.

  
As Ariel grew in confidence, so did her voice. Her lungs contracted and expanded, her humming evolving into singing, a wordless tuned which drifted up and down in waves as gentle and constant as the ocean. It steadily rose in volume, and Ariel closed her eyes, immensely proud of herself for getting this far. The human had to have heard her by now.

  
Still singing, Ariel turned and peeked over the rocks, watching in scared delight as the figure drew closer in the darkness.

  
~*~

  
Nani looked away from the sunset and down into the water beneath her. It was dangerous to be out on the ocean this late. Sharks could be lurking. Just a few months ago it had been all over the news that a man had disappeared whilst diving at night.

  
Nani lowered slightly, dipping her arms into the water to turn herself around, when suddenly a voice rose up out of the darkness. Nani couldn’t place where exactly it was coming from, and quickly scanned the surrounding area for any other people. Seeing none, confusion caused her brow to wrinkle. But just as quickly, her expression softened, and Nani found herself looking out at the sea. That voice, it was so beautiful and haunting. Beckoning, rising up with the waves, rocking her gently, and Nani’s thoughts became fluffy and fogged, a small smile tugging at her lips. She’d go and investigate the voice, find it, find the source of it. She felt driven to do so.

  
Her arms paddled her closer to the sound as it rose louder and louder, becoming clearer as she neared. A cluster of rocks came into view through the dark. The sun was almost completely set.

  
~*~

  
Ariel sat crouched, waiting. The human, which she felt certain was a female, had come close enough to make Ariel nervous. She’d quickly ducked behind the rock, careful to keep singing her wordless tune, and fought off her fright. She could do this, she chanted to herself again and again.

  
When the human finally came around the rocks, eyes looking out onto the water, away from her, Ariel almost jumped out of her skin. This was it, she must act, now! She had only one opportunity to catch the human off guard, and she had to make that moment count.

  
Inhaling deeply, Ariel held her breath as she sprung from her rocky purchase. The human was still alarmingly close to her on the red surfboard, and in one leap Ariel was making contact with the human, falling nearly on top of her.

  
Mentally, Ariel was berating herself for her clumsiness. Mermaids didn’t jump on their victims so gracelessly. But she was scared out of her wits, and so resolved to simply not tell her sisters about that little detail. Not giving the human female time to react, Ariel grabbed onto any part she could, and dove sideways into the water with a splash.

  
The human followed, not having the mind to struggle just yet. Ariel was glad that everything seemed to be going exactly like she’d been told it would. Maybe this wouldn’t be that hard after all. If only her father could see her now…

  
Letting her overworking brain get the best of her, Ariel lost those precious moments of the human’s surprise slip though her fingers, figuratively and literally, as the woman began to kick violently, wrenching from Ariel’s grip and swimming to the surface.

  
Ariel berated herself. How could she be so distracted at a time like this? She had to focus! If she failed now, it would be much worse than not trying at all. Mermaids who let humans get away after making contact were greatly shamed, and often banished, for putting the whole of merkind in danger of exposure.

  
The muscles in Ariel’s tail pumped strongly, and she reached the surface moments behind the human, who she could see sputtering, arms splashing blindly. Ariel came up behind her and quickly wrapped her arms over the human’s shoulders and around her neck, pulling her back under the water.

  
Ariel now understood the wisdom behind diving as deep as possible with a human before they regained their wits. A struggling human was much more difficult to manage.  
This particular one continued to kick and wave her arms, body bending forward and backward, rocking Ariel violently as she tried desperately to lower them deeper into the embrace of the ocean. The water was encased in complete blackness by this point, and the human woman’s thrashing was messing with Ariel’s equilibrium, the surface nearly impossible to distinguish from the depths.

  
After what seemed a lifetime, the female’s movements became sluggish, and Ariel relaxed her grip. She’d learned much about this part of the drowning process. Humans became utterly helpless after being deprived of oxygen long enough.

  
Overwhelmed by happiness that her mission was nearly complete, Ariel felt a tug of curiosity. Surely she should get a good look at her first victim. It would be what she was congratulated for, this human female.

  
Allowing the body to float suspended, legs still moving slowly, Ariel swam around to the front of the human, curiosity now the main emotion within her.

  
So this was a human. This was what created all those neat little object she hoarded. This was what had killed her mother, and many other merfolk throughout history. Ariel looked the body up and down, lingering on the legs. How on earth such limbs were able to hold humans up in all that heavy air was a wonder. Ariel then looked up at the face, and felt her breath still.

  
The human was looking right at her. Her dark eyes clouded over and half-lidded, but there was an intelligence behind them that caught the young mermaid off guard. Ariel found herself transfixed by the emotion behind those eyes. Such a great and dense sadness. It leaked into Ariel, and the mermaid found herself feeling sympathy for this dying creature.

  
Humans were base, savage animals, she’d been taught. So why did this one seem to possess these eyes? Such sad eyes that held the weight of a life of duty and responsibility; things which Ariel could instantly recognize and relate to…

  
The eyes finally became completely distant, unseeing, and Ariel took the rest of the face in. This human was certainly beautiful. Though really, she was the first human Ariel had ever seen up close. Her dark skin was soft underneath Ariel’s touch as she found herself running her fingers along a cheek.

  
A sudden muted shouting caused her to freeze, body tensing up, readying to spring away. The sound of feet splashing into water and the continued raised voices caused Ariel to panic. She realized her error too late; she’d stayed much too close to shore, and now more humans were coming. In a panic, Ariel forgot all about her human, and kicked heavily, putting distance between herself and the nearing noises as quickly as possible. She reached the cover of the jagged rocks, just feet away from where the top of the woman’s head could now be seen floating.

  
Peeking over the edge, Ariel watched as another human swam, arms and legs kicking wildly, toward her chosen target. Apprehension gripped Ariel as she watched on helplessly. This new human reached the female quickly, pulling her head above the surface and casting about for the surfboard, which continued to float calmly nearby. Ariel was grateful for the darkness, or else she was sure she’d have been spotted by the second human. He hefted the woman onto the red board and began pushing it back to shore.

  
Ariel sat up on the rocks once the humans were at the shoreline. Curiosity and terror kept her in place. She had to know. She had to make sure she’d been successful. The two figures were met with another, much smaller one when they reached the sand. The male laid Ariel’s human on her back and began performing some strange ritual, or so it seemed from Ariel’s distance. He bowed over the woman’s face and then laid his hands upon her several times, and Ariel could only sit and wonder what this strange human magic could be.

  
Suddenly the human female pitched forward, water bursting from her lips and distant shouts could be heard from the two others. They crowded around the female, who Ariel could see was moving about on the sand.

  
So she had failed. Ariel slouched back upon the rocks, eyes looking out unseeing on the ocean. She’d failed. And what was worse, the human had seen her.

  
Ariel felt waves of dread churn inside of her. How could she ever admit this to her family?

  
Not wanting to linger in case the humans returned, Ariel left her perch and delved down into the safety of the sea, making her way home. She could try again, she’d resolved. She would try again, and no one would have to know about this first time. This complete disaster. Besides, it wasn’t like the human had been fully aware when Ariel had shown herself. She probably wouldn’t remember a thing. Human minds turned to mush after deprived of oxygen for too long. That thought held her panic in check when she finally reached Atlantica.

  
As she swam underneath the stone archway, staring at the ground, she almost ran into her father. Her thoughts came to a halt, words sputtering from her in a panicked jumble.

  
“Oh, Daddy, wha- uh, what are you-”

  
The great king held a hand up, and Ariel snapped her jaw shut, sure that this would be it. Her guilt was written clear across her face, she could feel it.

  
Triton sighed, and suddenly a guilty look of his own was crossing his features, causing Ariel to pause in her spiraling terror.

  
“Ariel, I just wanted to…well, to apologise for how I reacted earlier today. I know that I’ve been a bit impatient recently about your rite of passage, and I may have gotten too harsh with you.”

  
Ariel felt herself relax. So he didn’t know. Of course he didn’t know. Her father continued to speak, looking at her as he rested a large hand on her arm, leading her toward their home.

  
“I was worried when you didn’t come back sooner. You know you’re not supposed to be outside after dark, young lady.”

  
“I know. Sorry, Daddy. Just lost track of time.”

  
Ariel was proud of how level she was managing to keep herself. Soon she and her father arrived at their home, and he led her into her and her sisters’ shared room. The others were already asleep, so Ariel was quiet as she settled upon her bed, cradling her pillow as her father gave her a fond smile before vanishing out of sight.

  
With her mind churning as it was, Ariel was surprised at the exhaustion that hit her abruptly, and despite herself, she was soon drifting into a dreamless sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment with your opinion!


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